from PM’s CC Vol II. This is one of favorite dishes to order at Chinese restaurants. The tofu is deep fried and then stewed for a bit with seasonings; sometimes ground pork is added, sometimes fermented black beans, sometimes spiciness. Chewy on the outside, tender on the inside, this is tofu at its best.
家常 jia1chang2 — homestyle
豆腐 dou4fu3 — tofu
It's important to keep the tofu in water until you're ready to use it.
Despite the deep-fried-ness being a key, key part of the Homestyle Tofu experience, I decided to stir fry my tofu instead (if I want something deep fried, I’ll pay for it, thank you very much). I was also, *ahem*, a little impatient during the stir frying and didn’t cook the tofu long enough for it to get really golden.
PM uses 1 Tb of hot bean paste in her seasoning step, when the tofu is returned to the pan to cook with the aromatics. I was cautious and added only 1 ts; the end result was just faintly spicy. Next time I think I’ll add regular soy bean paste (the salty one), and see how that turns out.
I also omitted the cornstarch paste thickening step for the sauce, which is why the end result is a little watery.
Difficulty level: depends. Probably easier to deep fry the tofu than to gingerly stir fry it and try to keep it from falling apart.
Time taken: 20 mins (I kid you not…very very fast, this dish)
Not deep fried, but still tasty.
